Charles d



(No Model.) A C. T. JOHNS.

RAILWAY SAFETY SWITGH.

N o'. 274,200. l PatentedhMar. 20, 1883.

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il* r nl l A JN -llilNrTE-D STATES PATENT @Erica oHA'ELEsTgJoHNs, 0E CLEVELAND, oHio, Assicuoa lor ONEEALE To j oEAELEsD. EvEEETT, E SAME rLAoE.

RAl LWAY SAFETY-SWITCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters :Patent N0. 274,200, dated March 20, 1'883,`

Appiication sied Dewinter i, ieee. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern: V

Be it knownthat I, CHARLES T. JOHNS, of Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and Improved Railway Safety-Switch; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and complete description thereof.

This invention relates to a certainimproved railway-switch, the nature of which consists 'in making the target standard or shaft in two 1 Sjunction of the two sections is surrounded by a spiral spring, one end of which is attached to a lug projecting from the upper section ot' the standard, the other end of the said spring :being connected to a lug projecting from the lower section ofthe standard, which admits of the sections moving jointly or separately, as required. The said standard is connected by suitable means to the switch-rails, so as to open and close the said switch, as necessary. By means ot the jointed standard and spiral spring, inconnection with the switch-rails, a train in passing over the switch when it is closed will open it, going through without dan` ger of derailing the cars, and as soon as the train has passed through, the switch, by the action of the spring, is closed, thereby rendering it a safety-switch.

That the invention may he more fully understood,reference will be had to the following specifications, and to the annexed drawings,

making part of the same, in which- Figure l is a plan view;v Fig. 2, a view ot' the frame and target-standard in vertical position. Fig. 3 is aview ot' a detached section ofthestandard,showing thejointed connection.

Like letters of reference refer to like parts in the several views.

For the purpose ot' showing the practical operationof the said improvement, reference will he had to therepresent-ation of a railwaytrack.

In Fig. 1, A A is the main line, and B B the switch-rails, connected with the ties in the or dinary way. The switch-rails vare connected jointed the link D at E, at one end, the other end ofthe link being loosely connected to the wrist F, Figs. 2 and 3. This wrist is attached to the crank G, which forms a part of the lower section, H, of the target-shaft.` The upper end of this section terminates in a round stem or tenon, I, Fig. 3, over which is movahlyfitted the socket J, which socket forms the lo wer end of the upper section, K, of the target shaft or standard L, Figs.1 and-2. The lower section ot' the standard is journaled in the box M and the upper section in the box N, `which boxes are attached to the sta-nd or frame O, which supports the mechanism for operating the switch, which-is actuated by means ofthe leverP, connected with the standard L, as seen in Figs. l and 2. 0n the under side of the lever I? is a pin, which is made to enter some one of the holes in the segment Q, according to the position 'ot' the lever in opening and closing the switch-rails B B in their relation to the main or side tracks. The junction of the two sections K H is surrounded by a spiral spring, R, Fig. 2,4 the upper end ot'wvhich is attached to the lug a, projecting fromrthe section K. The lower end of the spring is secured to the lug b of thelower section. This spring is made of sufficient strength orforce as not to yield or spring out in moving the switchrails from one side to the other in switching, by turning thelever P to operate the switch-connections with the rails for ordinary use. The spring force is of that strength that the movement of the lever P will turn the two sections H and K jointly without the spring yielding, so that one section will not' By this thus turn without movingI the other.

togetherby means of the har U, to which is means the invention may be applied to all the t ordinary uses of switching, with the additional advantageot' being an automatic sat'ety-swltch, as will be seen.

4In case a train is passing over the rails B run off the rail B at the end c, and the wheelsupon the other side would run in between the be derailed, which would destroy the switch and cause more or less injury to the train. With my improvement the train would pass safely through withoutinjury to it or the switch when misplaced, as seen in Fig. 1. As .the [O train passes over the line B A to the line A2 Aa the wheel-flanges, on entering between'the switch and main rails at d e, bythe great force and weight of the train, will force the switch and main rail at d e apart and allow the Wheels to pass through; at the same time the end of the switch-rail at c will be brought in contact with the main rail A2. In this way the train will safely pass through the misplaced switch from the line B A to A2 A3. The force of the spring will yield to the force of the passing train, and by the resiliency of the spring R the switch-rails will be forced or drawn back to the original position, (seenin Fig. 1,)which is right for a train passing from A2 A3 to rails A A", but misplaced for a train running over A B to A2 A3. At the time the switch-rails are in the position seen in Fig. 1 the lever P is locked or held in place by means of the pin fin the lever extending into the proper hole in the segment, as noted in Figs. 1 and 2, which prevents the upper section, K, of the standard L from turning in either dlrection; but at the same time the lower section, H, is allowed to move by the force of thetrain-wheels in passing through between main and switch rails, which overcomes the force of the spiral spring and opens the switch for the train to pass through in safety, as before stated, notwithstanding its misplacement. The distance between the tread ofthe rails at c e, Fig. l, is less than at A B. Hence the resistance ofthe rail along the line from A to A3 with the action ofthe train will force the movable switch-rails from the rail at R to S, and the same result would ensue in case the switch-rails in misplaoement were forced in the same way from In this It is intended that the switch mechanism'l may be operated as ordinarily to run the train from one track to another. The improvement in the said switch mechanism is brought into action automatically only, by the car-wheels,in case of displacement of the switch, as herein before described The improvement may be readily applied to all stand or ground railway-switches, -as usually constructed.

I am aware that sliding sectional switchrods have been used with a coiled spring surrounding the same with the ends of the spring connected to each sliding link; but what distinguishes my invention is the construction and arrangement herein described and claimed.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In railway-switches, the standard L, in two sections,jointed or movably connected together, in combination with the spiral spring surrounding said sections,with the ends thereof attached, respectively, to the said sections, substantially as described, and for the purpose set forth. v A 2. The standard L, formed in two sections movably connected, together inclosed within a spiral spring connected with said sections, in combination with a railway-switch, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES T. JOHNS.

Witnesses:

W. H. BURRIDGE, J. H. BURRIDGE. 

